Warning: There are a LOT of pictures in this post. I have tried to take out a few since I had nearly 100 pictures I wanted to include. We arrived at the Grand Canyon before sunset on Thursday night. When we parked, Paul wanted to go right out there but we knew the gift shop closed soon and I didn't want to be rushed once I saw this massive beauty. So we went to get my T-Shirt (something I said I was getting since I knew what I was going to do the next day), a gift for the kids, a patch, and a key chain to use as a Christmas ornament. After finishing all of that, we went out to take a look.
It was simply breathtaking. The most amazing sight I've ever seen. I couldn't wait until the next day. Now you should know, what we were about to do, hike from rim to river and back to the rim was something they strongly suggest you not do. They suggest at least 3 days and 2 night to do what we did in one day. We trained for this as best we could in our flatland surroundings. We also researched, read blogs and talked with others who had done the same. The time we went was in October so it was not as hot. Water was still running at the water stations as well (once it gets cold enough that is shut off due to freezing). This was completely doable for us as we prepared ourselves for what we planned to do. We also dressed in light layers. We knew to expect somewhere in the 30's in the morning and the 80's during the day. We only needed to stay warm during the first hour or so of the hike, so we had items that were not too heavy and easy to take off.
We got started right around sunrise. Not pictured are the large elk that were at the trail head getting water from the water station. Apparently people leave water on for the elk even though they are asked not to. We started out with at least 3 liters of liquid each, we filled up at the hotel before we left since water is not a guarantee. One lady who was with a group of ladies that planned to hike the South to North Rim that day did not fill up her water pack before getting to the trail head and when she couldn't figure out how to get the water to turn on, she began using very colorful language and blaming the park ranger she spoke with the day before. Do not do that. Even if you spoke with someone that said the water should be running at the trail head, just fill up your container before you go anyway since all printed material says water isn't guaranteed. At any rate, I figured out how to get the water going for her, you pushed the button rather than pull or twist.
We got on our way, it was very steep on the way down and we took it slow. Lots of people passed us. There were even runners running down the trail. You will never catch me doing that. Looked like death to me. One thing we were not very prepared for was the dusty trail down, we actually were very slow on the way down because of being careful and not wanting to slip and fall. We trained by walking long distances, walking up and down parking garages and steps (for hours) and by running. All of those things helped our bodies handle the movement but we couldn't train for the dusty descent.
Another reason we were so slow was because we stopped and took a lot of pictures. The views were incredible. There were quite a few people out there. Many more than we expected, but this was also in the morning, many people go out for sunrise and quite a few are walking down to the river to camp at Phantom Ranch for the night.
Our first sighting of the river!
Something I was interested in was the colors of the layers. It was so neat to see the trail change colors as we went down.
I stepped on a rock and lost my balance, falling on another small rock. I got up and started walking, a few minutes later I decided to look at my knee and realized it was a pretty good gash. I used some Owie essential oil which stopped the bleeding almost right away and thankfully a fellow hiker, Chris, had a band aid and offered it to us. Next trip I'm bringing band aids and definitely making sure I have my oils again.
You really could not have had a more beautiful day for this hike. God was certainly smiling on us with this trip!
You see the building back there? That is the bathroom. Its actually pretty neat how it works. All the waste goes to the bottom and basically decomposes, the gases go up through the pipes so the bathroom doesn't stink, as long as you remember to put the toilet seat down.
This is where we had our first snack stop. We brought along granola bars, Paydays, and Gatorade Chews to snack on while we were hiking. Sweet and salty items were great to have. You need the sweet for the carb pick me up and the salty because you don't realize how much you are actually sweating since it is evaporating so fast. Another absolute must have was BCAA's (Broken Chain Amino Acids). I use Young Livings Aminowise since it doesn't have a chemical sweetener and uses Stevia. It also tastes good so I enjoy drinking it. We use BCAA's when we exercise because it helps our muscles recover and not be as sore from the intense activity. I would not hike this without BCAA's.
I didn't realize that they do have emergency phones on the trail, not many but they do.
We also used hiking sticks for stability. I feel it made us slow down more on the way down but as I said, we didn't have any way of training for the dusty trail so I think they did more good than harm on the way down. They were a great help on the way up!
You know we had to have a picture like this. No worries, I 'm standing where the previous picture was taken, there is plenty of land behind me, you just can't see it.
We finally made it to the river! So excited!
We stopped and had lunch at this point. PB&J sandwiches, peanuts, vitamin water, and soda for a little caffeine kick. This was near Phantom Ranch campground. We didn't go there, just to the water station and rest area. We did our first water fill up here. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the water tasted.
Due to a family story at the Grand Canyon, Paul had to drink a Pepsi at the bottom. Ask him, he will tell you all about it.
Heading back up now!
This area was actually quite flat, we realized that as we saw that our time was much faster than it had been on the way down.
To me, this part of the trip was the most beautiful. Walking in the canyon was like something out of a movie.
We decided next time our lunch break would be here, it was really pretty.
Her is where the views were simply breath taking. Take a look at
this video (password: Grand) of us crossing a creek that was on the path. Then
this video (password: Grand) of Paul crossing. My shoes were Merrell hiking boots and they were water proof. I loved them, best investment I've ever made for any hiking and camping equipment.
This was a really interesting area. The sun was shining so it was warm, but if you were in the shade, the wind blew over the rocks that had been in the shade and the breeze was cool. Made for a nice resting area.
This is a long way to go up. I will say that this was the hardest time I've ever had in controlling my tongue. Every time I looked up and saw how much more we had to go, not very nice things popped into my head.
Indian Garden was a really nice area too. I enjoyed our break there. It was so neat to see all the green in this area of the trail since most things are that rocky/sandy look.
We took a nice break and stuck our feet in the stream. So refreshing.
Ok, this is where it really started getting depressing on how much farther we had to go. The main incline started after Indian Garden, and although we had only about 4 miles to go, it was all uphill.
Paul wanted this picture to give perspective on the wall I was standing next to.
Only three more miles up!
This sign is 100% accurate. Going down is optional but you do have to come back up and coming back up is no joke.
Looks like we are finally starting to get closer to the top!
1.5 more miles to go! I did not stop for the bathroom here.
I should have. Thankfully no one else was on the trail at this time.
How are we still smiling? We are about 16 miles in at this point. We have hiked down 4,860ft of elevation change and up almost that much.
Really, here is how we actually felt.
It was also somewhere in this point in the trip we ran into some wildlife. Take a look at
this video. Password: Grand
We were a little intimidated by these horned sheep since they could charge at us and well, one side of the trail is a bit of a drop off.
12 hours on the nose later, we finished our hike!
Happy dance!
King of the mountain!
This place goes down in my book as one of the most beautiful in America. This was a hard hike but entirely worth it. I can't wait to go back and camp. I want to look up at the night sky and see all those stars. As we drove out of the park we looked up and saw more stars than we have ever seen. It was like looking at a professional photograph, but we were there in person.
Here are our stats from Paul's Fitbit.
We didn't really go 26 miles, our hiking trail was almost 17 miles. Fitbit gives our steps a little more credit than what it was.
I'd say we burned some fat!
After our hike I told Paul he had to take me out for a steak dinner. We cleaned our plates!
Another shout out to our amazing friends and family who watched our 4 kids for 6 days so we could have this adventure! We couldn't have done it without them!
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